Driver suffered medical episode, causing head-on crash that killed boy, 4, in Chicago suburb, police say
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (CBS) — A 4-year-old boy was killed in a head-on crash in Waukegan, Illinois Wednesday morning.
Waukegan police and fire departments responded to the crash at 8:16 a.m. on Sunset Avenue and Kellogg Avenue. Two cars had collided head-on, police said.
According to police and witnesses, the driver of a silver KIA veered into the westbound lanes while heading eastbound. The KIA collided head-on with a westbound brown Chevrolet Equinox, resulting in heavy damage.
All involved were taken to local hospitals with injuries.
The 4-year-old, who was in a booster seat inside Equinox, suffered severe injuries. Officers attempted CPR at the scene until paramedics arrived. The child, identified as Kaleb Hardge of Zion by the Lake County Coroner's Office, was taken to Vista Medical Center East, where he died in the emergency room.
An autopsy revealed the child died from blunt force injuries suffered from the crash.
The Equinox driver, a 37-year-old woman of Zion, suffered a cut and head trauma. She was treated at an area hospital.
Police said the driver of the KIA, a 37-year-old man of Waukegan, is cooperating with the investigation.
Initial toxicology results showed no signs of drugs or alcohol. The driver said he was having a medical episode and may have passed out.
He underwent surgery for injuries caused by the accident.